Blog 2024 about butterfly photography by Johannes van Donge

26-05-2024 - Leucorrhinia albifrons - Dark Whiteface

The weather forecast was good so I had to go out, but what to do was a bit more difficult. Due to the heavy rain recently, I had the feeling that it was not wise to go looking for butterflies. So this morning we went looking for the Calopteryx splendens - Banded Demoiselle.

Of course we soon found a fair number of Calopteryx splendens - Banded Demoiselle, but they were all hidden deep in the high reeds. Impossible to take a nice photo of. In the same place there were also a lot of Platycnemis pennipes - Blue Featherleg. And coincidentally, there was a very exaggerated one perpendicular to a twig. I thought it was a funny sight, so I decided to take a nice photo of it. Fortunately the sun helped to give the photo a bit of color.

Platycnemis pennipes - Blue Featherleg

Once the sun was up we could head back home, but because we passed the fen where I had been looking earlier this week, we decided to take another look. This time we were more fortunate and we found four Leucorrhinia albifrons - Dark Whiteface which had probably sneaked out in the evening or early morning. Because they were hanging in the blueberries, little creativity was possible, but it was always fun to photograph a species like this in the Netherlands.

Leucorrhinia albifrons - Dark Whiteface

21-05-2024 - Anax imperator - Blue Emperor

I woke up on time this Tuesday and because the weather was so nice I went out for a while. I thought it would be a good idea to see if I could find the Leucorrhinia albifrons - Dark Whiteface. Once I arrived at a beautiful fen in the forest I found piles of skins of escaped dragonflies, but no Leucorrhinia albifrons - Dark Whiteface. When I had walked around the entire fen without success, I finally grabbed my camera to take a photo of an emerging Anax imperator - Blue Emperor. No special photo, but a beautiful sight to find this impressive insect.

Anax imperator - Blue Emperor

18-05-2024 - Orthetrum cancellatum - Black tailed Skimmer

On Saturday morning the alarm went off around 4:00 am. A little later I was drinking a cup of coffee with Jordi, and then got in the car towards the Weerribben. It was a beautiful morning, but it was very disappointing to find some nice dragonflies. I found a dormant Leucorrhinia caudalis - Lilypad Whiteface, but it was in such an awkward place that I couldn't make anything of it. When I slowly walked back towards the car I found an Orthetrum cancellatum - Black tailed Skimmer. Now I normally walk past this, but this one was nice between all the grasses. Once I looked through my viewfinder it actually looked quite nice, and I took my time with it. The photo below is the result, another nice photo in my opinion.

Orthetrum cancellatum - Black tailed Skimmer

Spain 2/10 may

My wife really wanted to start the walk to Santiago de Compostela this year. She would like to take this walk alone, but of course it was nice to take her away. Because our two daughters were on holiday in May, the four of us got into the car towards Spain in the afternoon.

The whole family in the car

After an overnight stay halfway through the ride, we arrive in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port just before the border with Spain. This is the place where my wife will start her walk. The four of us still have a nice day and sleep in a beautiful spot. The next morning we get up early to get the first stamp and say goodbye to each other.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Together with my two daughters I continue our journey towards Spain. We don't get that far on the first day and first make a stop at Las Bardenas Reales. This is a kind of large "desert" plain that looks a bit like an old western movie. The most special thing is the hill below, which has acquired its special shapes due to erosion. I also find Melanargia ines here, but unfortunately I can't get a decent photo due to the strong wind. Finally we drive on again to spend a night in Soria.

Las Bardenas Reales

This town turns out not to be such a success and after breakfast we leave again to drive further south. Along the way we stop at one of the places I had collected in advance to look for butterflies. The ladies hang out in the car, and I spend an hour looking for the Lycaena bleusei - Iberian Sooty Copper. Eventually I find a field where I find one of these butterflies, and the first photo is immediately the best photo I take of the species. It is a beautiful fresh little man among the yellow flowers that are full of them here.

Lycaena bleusei - Iberian Sooty Copper (male)

A little later I also find a female with, in my opinion, very different or special colors. In any case, it is a beautiful, striking butterfly. What I especially like is that these butterflies look completely different from the "normal" Lycaena tityrus.

Lycaena bleusei - Iberian Sooty Copper (female)

When the butterflies disappear over the barbed wire, I look for the car again and we drive further towards Segovia. Segovia is a beautiful town with a large Roman aquaduct that runs straight through the old center. We have a very nice hotel right next to the aquaduct. Because this is such a nice, quiet spot, the ladies sleep in the next day and I can look for butterflies early. All in all, I drive around for a few hours, I see many beautiful places and it is super cold even with frost on the ground. Unfortunately, all the effort is for nothing and I don't find a butterfly that I want to take a photo of. The rest of the day we hang out in the city and do nothing but eat and drink.

The next day we sleep in and go to Madrid for an afternoon. Of course we only look at the touristy part and after walking around for a few hours we are done with it and we go back to Segovia. On the way we stop at two other places where I want to see if there are any Euphydryas desfontainii - Spanish Fritillary flying. One of the places turns out to be inaccessible to cars, so the three of us take a nice walk through this beautiful piece of nature. This is the first time that we see butterflies everywhere, but of course not the kind I came for... Without taking pictures we go back to our hotel.

A nice walk

Because we will pick up my wife again at the end of the holiday, we are heading north again today. I don't want to make the mistake again and end up in the middle of nowhere like the outward journey, so we now drive straight to northern Spain. Of course I will stop again at the site of the Lycaena bleusei - Iberian Sooty Copper. I'll take a few more pictures here, but it won't get much better. We quickly drive further and eventually arrive at a campsite near Estella. The campsite is not such a success and we leave again soon after breakfast. Now we are going to visit Pamplona for a day. The old center turns out to be quite nice, and we are having a great time this day. It's another day full of food, drinks and ice cream. In the afternoon we drive around the area to see one of my last butterfly spots. Here I have more luck and I see several Euphydryas desfontainii - Spanish Fritillary flying around. Since it is very hot now and everything is flying together, I decide to come back early tomorrow. We book a nice apartment in the area and after a good night's sleep I go out early. Once I arrive at the right place I can't really find what I'm looking for and it seems to be a nightmare again. But when the sun rises for a while, the first butterflies start to fly and warm up quietly. I don't have much time before it gets too hot, but it is just enough to take a beautiful picture of a Euphydryas desfontainii - Spanish Fritillary.

Euphydryas desfontainii - Spanish Fritillary

I also find a strangely marked Euphydryas beckeri - Southern Marsh Fritillary. The lower edge of the hindwing is almost completely black. Maybe this is very normal here in Spain, but I think it looks beautiful. Fortunately, I also take a good photo of this beautiful animal.

Euphydryas beckeri - Southern Marsh Fritillary

After this success, the butterflies are over for this trip. In the afternoon we visit my wife again in Estella, and have a nice afternoon here. Unfortunately, our return journey begins again.

Of course, the walk to Santiago de Compostela has not yet been completed, and I will probably be able to visit Spain a few more times in the coming years.

Luxembourg / Spain 3/8 april

On Wednesday, April 3, I got into the car early in the morning to leave for Luxembourg. This afternoon I have a work appointment with one of our clients in Luxembourg City and dinner in the evening. After a nice session with the customer and a pleasant evening, I wake up the next morning in a rainy Luxembourg. After a good breakfast I get in the car to drive towards Spain. I thought it would make a difference that I was leaving from Luxembourg, but it was still about a 900 mile drive. I end up spending the whole day in the car and around 1:00 am I arrive at a hotel in Lleida, Spain. I immediately fall asleep and wake up five hours later to look for the first butterflies. Around 7:00 am I arrive at the spot where I previously found the Euchloe bazae - Greenish Black-tip. It is still a bit dark, not too warm, and a barren landscape.

Habitat of the Euchloe bazae - Greenish Black-tip

The first hour it is quite chilly and without seeing a single butterfly I walk through this vast area looking for it. Suddenly I find a yellow butterfly and I think I am finally lucky, but it turns out to be a Anthocharis euphenoides - Moroccan Orange Tip. Because I'm already tired of searching, I just take some pictures of this butterfly. I have a new camera, the Canon R6 Mark II and this is a great opportunity to get used to it. It's not the camera's fault, but the butterfly doesn't give me many options.

Anthocharis euphenoides - Moroccan Orange Tip

In the meantime, the sun is starting to break through every now and then and the temperature is becoming a bit more pleasant. Some butterflies are starting to fly around, but not the kind I'm looking for. I decide to sit down and wait until 12:00, and if I haven't seen anything by then I'll continue. The wait is terribly long, but around 11:30 am the right yellow butterfly flies by. It is not really warm yet, so the butterfly is fairly calm. Last time I took some pretty nice photos up close, and now I'm trying to take a little more distance. Unfortunately, the landscape does not offer many opportunities for creativity. In the end I quite like the photo below, but the photos from a few years ago are actually just as good...

Euchloe bazae - Greenish Black-tip

After taking pictures for a while I find a second copy, but I don't take better pictures. I walk towards the car to drive a bit further. The butterfly I especially hope to find this trip is the Zegris eupheme - Sooty Orange Tip. A beautiful butterfly that I have never seen and is here in northern Spain at the northern edge of its range. I have several places in the area where I want to search, but when I get close, many of the places appear to have been transformed into fields with solar panels. Many other fields where I had expected a sea of yellow flowers have been plowed and lie bare. Here and there I come across some decent spots, but I'm very disappointed. Towards the end of the day I stop for the second time at a field that looks reasonable and to my great surprise I see the butterfly I am looking for flying. Without taking any pictures I leave again to look for a hotel, but the next morning I come back to look here. Towards the end of the day I walk around a bit near my hotel and find a pair of Euchloe crameri - Western Dappled White. Since I have nothing else to do, I just take a picture of this and then go looking for something to eat.

Euchloe crameri - Western Dappled White

The next morning I arrive at yesterday's field in time, it is still half dark, but I will go looking. Before the sun rises I find the butterfly I am looking for. Unfortunately only one copy, but I have loved it for a long time. I'll take some pictures, but it will take a long time before the sun comes over a hill. By the time the sun finally comes out, I've been waiting for an hour on my knees. Here too, the amount of vegetation is disappointing and I don't have many options, but I take a neat photo with beautiful yellow tones. I expected more in advance, but I have to make do with the photo below. I must say that it is a beautiful animal, really beautiful to see.

Zegris eupheme - Sooty Orange Tip

I can't take a picture of the butterfly with open wings, and I don't feel like lingering in this spot for too long. I have one last species that I hope to find and at noon I drive that way. Of course I stop at various places along the way, but despite the fact that there are already a lot of butterflies flying, it is not possible to take photos. The wind also seems to be picking up a bit, which makes photography even more difficult. Once we arrived at our destination, the wind only increased. And without too many expectations I start my walk up a mountain. In this place I hope to find the Erebia epistygne - Spring Ringlet. I think it is one of the more beautiful brown butterflies, and it has been a very long time since I saw it for the first and last time. When I'm in the right place, the wind turns out to blow like crazy through the open spaces where I hope to find the butterflies. Ultimately it turns out that the butterflies also fly here, but with this wind it is impossible to take good photos of this species, which is already difficult to photograph. I give up for today and leisurely look for a place to sleep and something to eat for the evening.

Erebia epistygne - Spring Ringlet

As seen in the photo above, I have better luck the next morning. The weather is a lot better and the butterflies are not yet super warm, which makes it easier for me to take pictures quietly. I'm busy in this place most of the morning, until it's too hot and there's no point in staying. At noon I get back in the car to start my journey back to the Netherlands. The ride is not easy and I won't be able to get home in time, so I just drive past Paris and book a hotel there. After a good night's sleep, I drive the last bit on Monday morning, to be back home with my family for lunch.

New website

After about three years of not maintaining my website I'm finally picking up again. While I also wanted an English website for years, I decided to make a second version of Diginature.nl. All text is simply translated by Google translate so, it might look a bit funny. My plan is to keep both websites up-2-date...

Despite the silence on my website, I have still taken some photos in recent years, so I hope to use the coming time to update various pages and blogs. If you are curious about the updates of the past three years, keep an eye on the previous blog posts.

Aglais urticae - Small Tortoiseshell ready to emerge